Improvement in safety-pockets



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL FRENCH, BOSTON, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND SIDNEY ALLEN, OF NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN SAFETY-POCKETS.

Speciication forming part of Letters Patent No. 38,860, dated June 9, 1863.

To all whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, SAMUEL FRMNCH, a resident of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented an 1mproved Safety-Pocket for Wearing-Apparel; and I do hereby declare the same to be fully described in the following specification, and represented in the accompanying drawings, of which- Figure l is a side view, and Fig. 2 a horizontal section, of the said invention, the nature of which consists as follows, viz:

In an improved iexible arm or bolt-actuator carrier, as made or formed of tubular sections connected by ball-and-socket joints; also, in a pocket-mouth frame, as made in sections, and in other respects as hereinafter described; also, in the locking apparatus applied to such frame.

My invention, in some respects, may be considered as an improvement on that described aud represented in Letters Patent granted to me on the 24th day of June, A. D. 1862, wherein the iiexile arm is shown as a thin bar of metal or steel covered with cloth or leather, and having the bolt-actuator disposed alongside of it. The mouth-frame ot' the pocket consisted of two rigid curved frames, united by hinges at their extremities.

In carrying out my present invention, I make the bolt-actuator lexile arm (shown at A in the drawings) of a series of short tubes, ct a a a b b b b, connected to one anotherv at their ends by ball-and-socket joints c c c, the boltactu ator B in this instance being a strong wire or cord, or its equivalent, run through the bores ot' the several tubes. The pocket-mouth is shown at C as composed of several thin rectangular pieces of steel or metal arranged together as shown in Fig. 2. The two middle ones-viz., d d-support the lock g and its catch h, and each is hinged to two short pieces, e e, each of which in its turn is jointed to another piece, f, and so as to enable the latter to play or turn in a plane at right angles to the axis ot' the hinge of the middle piece, d. There is hinged to each one of the pieces f that is connected with the lock-plate another piece of plate metal, g', which overlaps one of the pieces f connected with the plate of the catch-box h, the said two overlapping plates f g2 being so connected as to enable one to be slid freely lengthwise on the other. An elastic band or belt, h2, extends alongside of and beyond the said two overlapping plates, (which are on each side ofthe catch-box,) and is connected with the plates with which they are directly hinged, the whole being as shown in Fig. 2 and in Figs. 3 and 4, these latter being, respectively, inner side views of the lock and catch-box plates d d, with those plates on each side of each, which make up half of the mouthi'rame of the pocket. By so constructing the mouth-frame of the pocket-viz., in sections.

hinged together in manner as described, and with some of the sections to overlap others, and to be provided with contractile bandsthe mouth-frame becomes ilexile in various directions, and can be expanded more or less, and may be worn in a dress with much more ease and advantage than when formed of only two rigid curved bars or frames hinged only at the two extremities ot' each. By making the iiexile arm as described it may also be worn to better advantage than when it is formed of a single iiexible bar of metal. A pocketmouth frame so made is intended to be covered with cloth or leather, and to have a bag or pocket appended to it, so that when opened a person may be able to gain access to the pocket, but when closed and locked the two jaws ofthe frame shall be so connected and rigid as not to be readily opened apart,

except by unlocking the catch of their lock, which is to be done by pulling on the boltactuator so as to unlock the bolt or catches L from the catch plate or box. pocket, the exile arm, and bolt-actuator are to be arranged and worn as described in my said patent, as heretofore granted. The boltactuator B is affixed to the periphery ot' a rotary pulley, 7c, (see Figs. 5 and 6, they being sections of the lock-case and the catchbox,) arranged within the lock-case g. It is also carried around the said pulley. There are within the pulley two cams, m m, which encompass the tails of and operate the two lever-catches l l, arranged as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. A spring, n, placed between these catches serves to press or force them asunder. There is also a spiral spring, o, within the pulley k, for the purpose of retracting it, such spring being fixed to the lock-case and to the pulley. On pulling on the upper end of the actuator, the pulley will be caused to revolve and press or move inward toward one another the tails of the two catches, so as to unlock the lock. By simply pressing the catches into the catch-box the spiral spring will give away and cause them to pass into the box and be locked to it.

I claim- 1 The improved exile arm or bolt-actuator carrier, as made of tubular sections, connected by ball-and-socket joints.

2. Theimproved fleXile pocket-mouth frame, as made in separate plates or sections, hinged together, and with some to overlap others,

and having contractile bands applied to them, substantially as described, the whole being so as to enable the mouth-frame to be readily ilexible, and capable of being expanded more or less, as specified.

3. The combination of the rotating pulley 7c, its Acams m m, and retractile spring o with the catches l l and their spring n, arranged in manner and so as to operate as described.

SAMUEL FRENCH. Witnesses:

R. H. EDDY, F. l?. HALE, Jr. 

